Inappropriate use control system and inappropriate use control program

ABSTRACT

When a current situation corresponds to at least one of action determination conditions as conditions for determining a curbing action as an action for curbing inappropriate use of an electronic device carried and used by a user, the electronic device determines the curbing action according to the action determination condition to which the current situation corresponds, and executes the determined curbing action.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2021-125318 filed Jul. 30, 2021, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an inappropriate use control system andan inappropriate use control program for curbing a user's inappropriateuse of an electronic device carried by the user and used by the user.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, an electronic device carried by a user and used by theuser has been known (see JP 2020-198605 A, for example).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the conventional electronic device, there is a problem thatinappropriate use such as so-called “smartphone zombie (operation ofsmartphone while walking)” is performed by the user.

Against this background, an object of the present invention is toprovide an inappropriate use control system and an inappropriate usecontrol program capable of curbing a user's inappropriate use of anelectronic device owned by the user.

An inappropriate use control system according to the present inventionincludes a curbing action determination unit that determines a curbingaction as an action for curbing a user's inappropriate use of anelectronic device carried by the user and used by the user, and acurbing action execution unit that executes the curbing actiondetermined by the curbing action determination unit. When a currentsituation corresponds to at least one of action determination conditionsas conditions for determining the curbing action, the curbing actiondetermination unit determines the curbing action according to the actiondetermination condition to which the current situation corresponds.

According to this configuration, when the current situation correspondsto at least one of the action determination conditions, theinappropriate use control system of the present invention determines thecurbing action according to the action determination condition to whichthe current situation corresponds. Therefore, it is possible to curbinappropriate use of the electronic device by the user.

In the inappropriate use control system of the present invention, thecurbing action may include a notification to the user.

With this configuration, the inappropriate use control system of thepresent invention curbs inappropriate use of the electronic device bythe user of the electronic device by notifying the user of theelectronic device. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user of theelectronic device not to use the electronic device inappropriately.

In the inappropriate use control system of the present invention, thecurbing action may include use restriction of the electronic device.

With this configuration, the inappropriate use control system of thepresent invention curbs inappropriate use of the electronic device bythe user of the electronic device by use restriction of the electronicdevice. Therefore, it is possible to effectively curb inappropriate useof the electronic device by the user.

In the inappropriate use control system of the present invention, as theaction determination condition, there may be at least one of a conditionrelated to a state of a posture of the user, a condition related to astate of movement of the user, a condition related to a degree ofconcentration on operation of the electronic device by the user, acondition related to a state of erroneous operation of the electronicdevice by the user, a condition related to a location of the user, acondition related to the weather of a place where the user is present, acondition related to whether or not there is a purpose of movement ofthe user, and a condition related to whether or not the electronicdevice is set to a mode in which the user concentrates on an operationof the electronic device.

With this configuration, the inappropriate use control system of thepresent invention can execute an appropriate curbing action. Therefore,it is possible to appropriately curb inappropriate use of the electronicdevice by the user.

In the inappropriate use control system of the present invention, thecurbing action execution unit may permit exceptional use of a specificfunction of the electronic device in a specific situation when executingthe curbing action.

With this configuration, the inappropriate use control system of thepresent invention permits exceptional use of a specific function of theelectronic device in a specific situation when executing the curbingaction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce adverse effects associatedwith curbing inappropriate use of the electronic device by the user.

An inappropriate use control program according to the present inventioncauses an electronic device carried by a user and used by the user toimplement a curbing action determination unit that determines a curbingaction as an action for curbing the user's inappropriate use of theelectronic device, and a curbing action execution unit that executes thecurbing action determined by the curbing action determination unit. Whena current situation corresponds to at least one of action determinationconditions as conditions for determining the curbing action, the curbingaction determination unit determines the curbing action according to theaction determination condition to which the current situationcorresponds.

With this configuration, when the current situation corresponds to atleast one of the action determination conditions, the electronic devicethat executes the inappropriate use control program of the presentinvention determines the curbing action according to the actiondetermination condition to which the current situation corresponds.Therefore, it is possible to curb inappropriate use of the electronicdevice by the user of the electronic device.

The inappropriate use control system and the inappropriate use controlprogram of the present invention can curb the user's inappropriate useof the electronic device owned by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front view of a smartphone according to an embodiment ofthe present invention; FIG. 1B is a back view of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an action determinationcondition table illustrated in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a curbing action tableillustrated in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 in a case of updating acquisition historyinformation;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the smartphone illustrated inFIG. 2 in a case of registering relative position information forposture determination;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 in a case where an operation concentration mode isset;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 in a case of determining a curbing action to beexecuted;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 in a case of executing the curbing action;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 regarding exceptional use in an emergency;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 regarding exceptional use when the smartphone isfixed to a vehicle;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphoneillustrated in FIG. 2 regarding exceptional use when an image displayedon a display unit is not viewed; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example different from theexample illustrated in FIG. 2 of the inappropriate use control systemaccording to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings.

First, a configuration of a smartphone as an electronic device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1A is a front view of a smartphone 10 as an electronic deviceaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 1B is a back view of thesmartphone 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration ofthe smartphone 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the smartphone 10 includes: anoperation unit 11 to which various operations are input; a display unit12 which is a display device such as an organic electro luminescence(EL) display that displays various information; a speaker 13 thatoutputs sound; a microphone 14 that inputs sound; an out-camera 15 a forcapturing an image on a back side of the smartphone 10; an in-camera 15b for capturing an image on a front side of the smartphone 10; avibration motor 16 for implementing a vibration function; a sensor unit17 that detects various information; a communication unit 18 which is acommunication device that communicates with an external device via anetwork such as a local area network (LAN) or the Internet or directlycommunicates with an external device in a wired or wireless mannerwithout a network; a storage unit 19 which is a nonvolatile storagedevice such as a semiconductor memory that stores various information;and a control unit 20 that controls the entire smartphone 10.

The operation unit 11 includes various operation devices. For example,the operation unit 11 includes, as operation devices, a power button 11a for turning on the power of the smartphone 10, a volume button 11 bfor adjusting the volume of sound output from the speaker 13, a homebutton 11 c for displaying, for example, a home screen on the displayunit 12, and a position input device 11 d included in a touch paneltogether with the display unit 12.

The sensor unit 17 includes various sensors. For example, the sensorunit 17 includes, as sensors, an acceleration sensor 17 a that detectsacceleration, a gyro sensor 17 b that detects angular velocity, amagnetic sensor 17 c that detects a magnitude and a direction of amagnetic field, a global positioning system (GPS) unit 17 d that detectsa current position, and an infrared sensor 17 e that detectsirregularities of a face of a user of the smartphone 10 (hereinaftersimply referred to as “user”).

The storage unit 19 stores an inappropriate use control program 19 a forcurbing inappropriate use of the smartphone 10 by the user. For example,the inappropriate use control program 19 a may be installed in thesmartphone 10 at the manufacturing stage of the smartphone 10, or may beadditionally installed in the smartphone 10 from a network.

The storage unit 19 can store acquisition history information 19 bindicating a history of outputs of various operation devices of theoperation unit 11 and outputs of various sensors of the sensor unit 17.

In order to determine a state of a posture of the user, that is, whetherthe user is sitting or standing, the storage unit 19 can store relativeposition information 19 c for posture determination indicating theposition of the smartphone 10 carried by a sitting user relative to theposition of the smartphone 10 carried by a standing user.

The storage unit 19 can store an action determination condition table 19d indicating a condition (hereinafter referred to as “actiondetermination condition”) for determining an action (hereinafterreferred to as “curbing action”) for curbing inappropriate use of thesmartphone 10 by the user.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the action determinationcondition table 19 d.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the action determination condition table 19 dincludes various action determination conditions and numerical valuesassociated with each of these action determination conditions. Forexample, the types of the action determination condition include“posture of user” indicating the state of the posture of the user,“movement of user” indicating a state of movement of the user, “degreeof concentration on operation” indicating the degree of concentration onthe operation of the smartphone 10 by the user, “erroneous operation”indicating a state of erroneous operation of the smartphone 10 by theuser, “user location”, “weather” indicating the weather of the placewhere the user is present, “purpose of movement” indicating whether ornot there is a purpose of movement of the user, and “operationconcentration mode” indicating whether the smartphone 10 is set to anoperation concentration mode as a mode in which the user concentrates onthe operation of the smartphone 10. Each piece of information in theaction determination condition table 19 d illustrated in FIG. 3 ismerely an example. For example, a curbing action determination unit 20 ato be described later may change each piece of information in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d according to an instruction from theoperation unit 11.

“Posture of user” in the action determination condition table 19 dincludes, for example, an action determination condition “sitting” andan action determination condition “standing”.

“Movement of user” in the action determination condition table 19 dincludes various action determination conditions such as “walking”indicating that the user is moving at a low speed by foot, and “running”indicating that the user is moving at a high speed by foot, for example.

“Degree of concentration on operation” in the action determinationcondition table 19 d includes various action determination conditionssuch as “slightly concentrated” and “considerably concentrated”, forexample.

“Erroneous operation” in the action determination condition table 19 dincludes various action determination conditions such as “frequent”, forexample.

“User location” in the action determination condition table 19 dincludes various action determination conditions such as “home”,“workplace”, “near home”, “near workplace”, “region with bad roads”,“region with many vehicles”, “region with many animals”, and “regionwith many stationary objects”, for example. Here, “near home” indicatesa region within a range of a specific distance from “home”. Similarly,“near workplace” indicates a region within a range of a specificdistance from “workplace”. “Region with bad roads” is, for example, aregion with many bad roads such as uneven roads and narrow roads.“Vehicle” in the present embodiment, such as “vehicle” in “region withmany vehicles”, is a vehicle that causes danger such as collision forthe user, such as an automobile, a bicycle, a wheelchair, and astroller. “Animal” in the present embodiment, such as “animal” in“region with many animals”, is an animal that causes danger such ascollision, stumbling, or the like for a user, such as a dog, a cat, acrow, a sparrow, and a mouse. “Stationary object” in the presentembodiment, such as “stationary object” in “region with many stationaryobjects”, is a stationary object that causes danger such as collision,stumbling, falling, or the like for a user, such as a utility pole, astanding signboard, a mailbox, a guard rail, a step, and a groove.

The action determination conditions of “user location” illustrated inFIG. 3 are merely an example. For example, “user location” may include“school”. “User location” illustrated in FIG. 3 includes comprehensiveaction determination conditions such as “inside building”, “park”,“commercial area”, “event venue”, “terminal station”, and “suburb”.“User location” may include more specific action determinationconditions. For example, the “user location” may include a specificaction determination condition such as “Yoyogi park” instead of “park”.

The user may register various information regarding “home”. The variousinformation regarding “home” may include whether or not the place is astructurally dangerous place such as with many steps or complicatedpassages, whether or not the place has a large number of people per unitarea, and whether or not the user is familiar with the place. In theaction determination condition table 19 d, the numerical valueassociated with “home” may be set by the curbing action determinationunit 20 a to be described later on the basis of the various informationregarding “home” registered by the user. The same applies to thenumerical value associated with “workplace”. The user may registervarious information regarding a specific action determination conditionsuch as “Yoyogi park”. Similar to the numerical value associated with“home” and the numerical value associated with “workplace”, thenumerical value associated with the specific action determinationcondition may be set by the curbing action determination unit 20 a to bedescribed later on the basis of the various information regarding thespecific action determination condition registered by the user. Notethat in a case where the place is structurally dangerous, a case wherethe place has a large number of people per unit area, or a case wherethe user is not familiar with the place, the associated numerical valueincreases.

“Weather” in the action determination condition table 19 d includesvarious action determination conditions such as “rain” and “strongwind”, for example. The action determination conditions of “weather”illustrated in FIG. 3 are merely an example. For example, while“weather” illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a comprehensive actiondetermination condition “rain”, the action determination condition maybe included for each intensity of rain.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the storage unit 19 can store a curbingaction table 19 e indicating a curbing action for each degree of curbing(hereinafter referred to as “curbing level”) of inappropriate use of thesmartphone 10 by the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the curbing action table19 e.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , in the curbing action table 19 e, the curbinglevel, the content of the curbing action, and the numerical range areassociated with each other. Each piece of information in the curbingaction table 19 e illustrated in FIG. 4 is merely an example. Forexample, the curbing action determination unit 20 a to be describedlater may change each piece of information in the curbing action table19 e according to an instruction from the operation unit 11.

Each of “level 1 notification”, “level 2 notification”, and “level 3notification” illustrated in FIG. 4 is a notification to the userachieved by at least one of display by the display unit 12, audio outputby the speaker 13, and vibration by the vibration motor 16.

“Prohibition of some image operations”, “prohibition of imageoperation”, “prohibition of display of some images”, “prohibition ofpart of audio output”, and “prohibition of audio input” illustrated inFIG. 4 are use restrictions on the smartphone 10. “Prohibition of someimage operations” means to prohibit operations on specific images suchas a specific button displayed on the display unit 12. “Prohibition ofimage operation” means to prohibit any operation on the image displayedon the display unit 12. “Prohibition of display of some images” means toprohibit display of specific images such as a moving image in a movingimage application on the display unit 12. “Prohibition of part of audiooutput” means to prohibit output of specific sounds from the speaker 13.“Prohibition of audio input” means to prohibit audio input from themicrophone 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the storage unit 19 can store map information19 f

The storage unit 19 can store a bad road region database 19 g indicatingregions with bad roads.

The storage unit 19 can store a crowded region database 19 h indicatingregions with many people for each time zone. For example, the crowdedregion database 19 h includes regions such as a specific event venue anda specific terminal station.

The storage unit 19 can store a multi-vehicle region database 19 iindicating regions with many vehicles for each time zone.

The storage unit 19 can store a multi-animal region database 19 jindicating regions with many animals for each time zone. For example,the multi-animal region database 19 j includes regions such as aspecific dog run and a specific place well-known as a place for walkinga dog.

The storage unit 19 can store a multi-stationary-object region database19 k indicating regions with many stationary objects for each time zone.

The control unit 20 includes, for example, a central processing unit(CPU), a read only memory (ROM) that stores programs and various data,and a random access memory (RAM) as a memory used as a work area of theCPU of the control unit 20. The CPU of the control unit 20 executes aprogram stored in the storage unit 19 or the ROM of the control unit 20.

The control unit 20 executes the inappropriate use control program 19 ato implement the curbing action determination unit 20 a that determinesa curbing action and a curbing action execution unit 20 b that executesthe curbing action determined by the curbing action determination unit20 a. That is, the smartphone 10 forms an inappropriate use controlsystem.

Next, the operation of the smartphone 10 will be described.

First, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 in a case ofupdating the acquisition history information 19 b will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of thesmartphone 10 in a case of updating the acquisition history information19 b.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a executes the operationillustrated in FIG. 5 when the user logs in to the smartphone 10. Forexample, the control unit 20 can cause the user to log in to thesmartphone 10 by face authentication based on at least one of the user'sface in an image captured by the in-camera 15 b and the user's face in adetection result of the infrared sensor 17 e.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the curbing action determination unit 20 adetermines whether or not a specific timing is reached until it isdetermined that the specific timing is reached (S101). Here, thespecific timing in S101 is, for example, a timing of every 0.1 seconds.

When determining in S101 that the specific timing is reached, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a adds the outputs of the variousoperation devices of the operation unit 11 and the outputs of thevarious sensors of the sensor unit 17 to the acquisition historyinformation 19 b (S102). After the processing of S102, the curbingaction determination unit 20 a performs the processing of S101.

Note that the position of the smartphone 10 based on the outputs of theacceleration sensor 17 a, the gyro sensor 17 b, and the magnetic sensor17 c added to the acquisition history information 19 b immediately afterthe start of the operation illustrated in FIG. 5 is the origin of theposition of the smartphone 10 calculated on the basis of the outputs ofthe acceleration sensor 17 a, the gyro sensor 17 b, and the magneticsensor 17 c.

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 in a case ofregistering the relative position information 19 c for posturedetermination will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the smartphone 10 in a case ofregistering the relative position information 19 c for posturedetermination.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may execute the operationillustrated in FIG. 6 when the user logs in to the smartphone 10 for thefirst time, or may execute the operation illustrated in FIG. 6 inresponse to an instruction from the user.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the curbing action determination unit 20 anotifies an instruction to place the smartphone 10 in a specificposition in a state where the user is standing (S121). In S121, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a notifies the instruction by atleast one of display by the display unit 12 and audio output by thespeaker 13. Therefore, the user who checks the notification in S121 canstand and place the smartphone 10 in the specific position for the user.Here, the specific position is, for example, a position at which thesmartphone 10 is arranged perpendicularly to the ground so that theimage displayed by the display unit 12 faces the user's face in front ofthe user's face at a distance of 30 cm in a state where the user facesstraight forward.

After the processing of S121, the curbing action determination unit 20 adetermines whether or not the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in a state where the user is standing isgiven via the operation unit 11, until the curbing action determinationunit 20 a determines that the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in a state where the user is standing isgiven via the operation unit 11 (S122).

When determining in S122 that the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in a state where the user is standing isgiven via the operation unit 11, the curbing action determination unit20 a acquires the current position of the smartphone 10 detected by thevarious sensors of the sensor unit 17 (S123). Note that the curbingaction determination unit 20 a may calculate the current position of thesmartphone 10 on the basis of the outputs of the acceleration sensor 17a, the gyro sensor 17 b, and the magnetic sensor 17 c, for example.

After the processing of S123, the curbing action determination unit 20 anotifies an instruction to place the smartphone 10 in a specificposition in a state where the user is sitting (S124). In S124, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a notifies the instruction by atleast one of display by the display unit 12 and audio output by thespeaker 13. Therefore, the user who checks the notification in S124 cansit down and place the smartphone 10 in the specific position for theuser. Here, the specific position is, for example, a position at whichthe smartphone 10 is arranged perpendicularly to the ground so that theimage displayed by the display unit 12 faces the user's face in front ofthe user's face at a distance of 30 cm in a state where the user facesstraight forward.

After the processing of S124, the curbing action determination unit 20 adetermines whether or not the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in a state where the user is sitting isgiven via the operation unit 11, until the curbing action determinationunit 20 a determines that the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in the state where the user is sittingis given via the operation unit 11 (S125).

When determining in S125 that the notification that the smartphone 10 isplaced in the specific position in a state where the user is sitting isgiven via the operation unit 11, the curbing action determination unit20 a acquires the current position of the smartphone 10 detected by thevarious sensors of the sensor unit 17 (S126). Note that the curbingaction determination unit 20 a may calculate the current position of thesmartphone 10 on the basis of the outputs of the acceleration sensor 17a, the gyro sensor 17 b, and the magnetic sensor 17c, for example.

After the processing of S126, the curbing action determination unit 20 aregisters the relative position which is the position acquired in S126relative to the position acquired in S123 in the relative positioninformation 19 c for posture determination (S127). After the processingof S127, the curbing action determination unit 20 a ends the operationof FIG. 6 .

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 in a case wherethe operation concentration mode is set will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 in a case where the operation concentration mode is set.

When setting to the operation concentration mode is instructed via theoperation unit 11, the curbing action determination unit 20 a executesthe operation illustrated in FIG. 7 .

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the curbing action determination unit 20 adetermines whether or not the user is performing a specific vigorousmovement (S141). Here, the specific vigorous movement may include“running”, for example.

When determining in S141 that the user is performing the specificvigorous movement, the curbing action determination unit 20 a notifiesthe failure of setting to the operation concentration mode by at leastone of display by the display unit 12 and audio output by the speaker 13(S142). After the processing of S142, the curbing action determinationunit 20 a ends the operation illustrated in FIG. 7 .

When determining in S141 that the user is not performing the specificvigorous movement, the curbing action determination unit 20 a sets thesmartphone 10 to the operation concentration mode (S143).

Next, the curbing action determination unit 20 a notifies the success ofsetting to the operation concentration mode by at least one of displayby the display unit 12 and audio output by the speaker 13 (S144). Afterthe processing of S144, the curbing action determination unit 20 a endsthe operation illustrated in FIG. 7 .

Note that an application program that can be operated only when thesmartphone 10 is set to the operation concentration mode may beinstalled in the smartphone 10.

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 when determiningthe curbing action to be executed will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 in a case of determining the curbing action to be executed.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a executes the operationillustrated in FIG. 8 when the smartphone 10 is already activated.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the curbing action determination unit 20 aidentifies an action determination condition to which the currentsituation corresponds among the action determination conditionsindicated in the action determination condition table 19 d (S161). Here,even when the current situation corresponds to a plurality of the actiondetermination conditions of the same type of action determinationcondition, the curbing action determination unit 20 a identifies all theaction determination conditions of the same type of action determinationcondition to which the current situation corresponds. For example, whenthe current situation corresponds to a plurality of action determinationconditions among the action determination condition “user location”, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a identifies all the actiondetermination conditions to which the current situation correspondsamong the action determination condition “user location”.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may identify “posture ofuser” on the basis of, for example, at least one of the output of theacceleration sensor 17 a, the output of the gyro sensor 17 b, and theoutput of the magnetic sensor 17 c included in the acquisition historyinformation 19 b. For example, the curbing action determination unit 20a may determine that “posture of user” is “standing” when “movement ofuser” is “walking” or “running”. The curbing action determination unit20 a may determine that “posture of user” is “standing” when, in a statewhere “posture of user” is “sitting”, the position of the smartphone 10rises and the relative position of the smartphone 10 before rising withrespect to the position of the smartphone 10 after rising is includedbetween a specific lower limit value and a specific upper limit value.The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “postureof user” is “sitting” when “movement of user” is maintained at “stopped”for a specific time or more after the situation where “movement of user”changes from “walking” or “running” to “stopped”, and at the same time,the current relative position of the smartphone 10 with respect to theposition of the smartphone 10 in a situation where “movement of user” is“walking” or “running” is included between a specific lower limit valueand a specific upper limit value. On the other hand, even if “movementof user” is maintained at “stopped” for the specific time or more after“movement of user” changes from “walking” or “running” to “stopped”,when the current relative position of the smartphone 10 with respect tothe position of the smartphone 10 in the situation where “movement ofuser” is “walking” or “running” is not included between the specificlower limit value and the specific upper limit value, the user may bejust crouching and not sitting, for example. Hence, the curbing actiondetermination unit 20 a does not necessarily determine that “posture ofuser” is “sitting”. Here, when the relative position information 19 cfor posture determination is not stored in the storage unit 19, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a uses default values as thespecific lower limit value and the specific upper limit value. On theother hand, when the relative position information 19 c for posturedetermination is stored in the storage unit 19, the curbing actiondetermination unit 20 a can set a specific lower limit value and aspecific upper limit value according to the user by setting a specificlower limit value and a specific upper limit value on the basis of therelative position indicated in the relative position information 19 cfor posture determination, and as a result, it is possible to improvethe accuracy of determination as to whether the user is “standing” or“sitting”.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “movement ofuser” on the basis of, for example, at least one of the output of theacceleration sensor 17 a, the output of the gyro sensor 17 b, the outputof the magnetic sensor 17c, and the output of the GPS unit 17 d includedin the acquisition history information 19 b. For example, when amovement pattern of the smartphone 10 based on the output of theacceleration sensor 17 a, the output of the gyro sensor 17 b, and theoutput of the magnetic sensor 17 c included in the acquisition historyinformation 19 b is similar to a pattern when the user is walking, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “movement ofuser” is “walking”. Additionally, the curbing action determination unit20 a may determine “movement of user” on the basis of, for example, theoutput of the GPS unit 17 d included in the acquisition historyinformation 19 b and the map information 19 f. For example, when themovement pattern of the smartphone 10 based on the output of the GPSunit 17 d, which is included in the acquisition history information 19b, is similar to a pattern when the user moves by train, and themovement trajectory of the smartphone 10 based on the output of the GPSunit 17 d follows a railway track in the map information 19 f, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “movement ofuser” is “moving by train”. Note that the curbing action determinationunit 20 a may make the determination with reference to a normal movementpattern of the user when determining “movement of user” such as “movingin zigzag by foot”, “suddenly stopping frequently while moving by foot”,“moving laterally frequently while moving by foot”, “jumping whilemoving by foot”, “stopping frequently while moving by foot”, or “goingback and forth while moving by foot”.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “degree ofconcentration on operation” according to, for example, the direction ofthe user's face with respect to the image displayed by the display unit12. For example, the curbing action determination unit 20 a maydetermine that the direction of the user's face with respect to theimage displayed by the display unit 12 comes closer to the frontdirection as “degree of concentration on operation” increases. Here, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may identify the direction of theuser's face with respect to the image displayed by the display unit 12on the basis of, for example, at least one of the direction of theuser's face in an image captured by the in-camera 15 b and the directionof the user's face in the detection result by the infrared sensor 17 e.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “degree ofconcentration on operation” according to, for example, the distancebetween the image displayed by the display unit 12 and the user's face.For example, the curbing action determination unit 20 a may determinethat the distance between the image displayed by the display unit 12 andthe user's face becomes closer to a specific distance such as 30 cm as“degree of concentration on operation” increases. Here, the curbingaction determination unit 20 a may identify the distance between theimage displayed by the display unit 12 and the user's face on the basisof, for example, at least one of the size of the user's face in an imagecaptured by the in-camera 15 b and the size of the user's face in thedetection result by the infrared sensor 17 e.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “degree ofconcentration on operation” according to, for example, the situation ofthe operation of a program of the smartphone 10 by the user. Here, theprogram of the smartphone 10 includes, for example, an operating system(OS), an application program, and the like. For example, when the numberof characters input within a specific time is a specific number or more,the curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “degree ofconcentration on operation” is “considerably concentrated”. Note thatthe curbing action determination unit 20 a may set the “specific number”as the reference of the “number of characters input within a specifictime” for determining “degree of concentration on operation” withreference to the number of characters the user normally inputs withinthe specific time.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “degree ofoperation concentration” on the basis of, for example, outputs ofvarious operation devices of the operation unit 11 included in theacquisition history information 19 b. For example, when the number oftimes the power button 11 a, the volume button 11 b, the home button 11c, or the position input device 11 d is operated within a specific timeis a specific number or more, the curbing action determination unit 20 amay determine that “degree of concentration on operation” is“considerably concentrated”. Note that the curbing action determinationunit 20 a may set the “specific number” as the reference of the “numberof times the power button 11 a, the volume button 11 b, the home button11 c, or the position input device 11 d is operated within a specifictime” for determining “degree of concentration on operation” withreference to the number of times the user normally operates the powerbutton 11 a, the volume button 11 b, the home button 11 c, or theposition input device 11 d within the specific time.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “erroneousoperation” on the basis of, for example, outputs of various operationdevices of the operation unit 11 included in the acquisition historyinformation 19 b. For example, when the number of erroneous operationsbased on the outputs of the various operation devices of the operationunit 11 included in the acquisition history information 19 b is aspecific number of times or more, such as three times per minute, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “erroneousoperation” is “frequent”. Here, the specific number of times may bedetermined by the curbing action determination unit 20 a on the basis ofthe number of times of erroneous operations acquired by the curbingaction determination unit 20 a in an environment where the user's bodyand mind are stable and the user is safe. Note that a safe environmentfor the user may be, for example, a region where the road is not bad andthere are few obstacles such as people, vehicles, animals, andstationary objects. An erroneous operation may relate to, for example,character input or operation on a window.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “user location”on the basis of, for example, the output of the GPS unit 17 d includedin the acquisition history information 19 b and the map information 19f. For example, when the position of the smartphone 10 based on theoutput of the GPS unit 17 d, which is included in the acquisitionhistory information 19 b, is “home” on the map information 19 f, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that “userlocation” is “home”. The curbing action determination unit 20 a maydetermine whether or not the place where the user is currently presentcorresponds to “region with bad roads” on the basis of, for example, theoutput of the GPS unit 17 d included in the acquisition historyinformation 19 b, the map information 19 f, and the bad road regiondatabase 19 g. The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determinewhether or not the place where the user is currently present correspondsto “region with many people” on the basis of, for example, the output ofthe GPS unit 17 d included in the acquisition history information 19 b,the map information 19 f, the crowded region database 19 h, andcongestion information acquired from the outside of the smartphone 10 inreal time. The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determinewhether or not the place where the user is currently present correspondsto “region with many vehicles” on the basis of, for example, the outputof the GPS unit 17 d included in the acquisition history information 19b, the map information 19 f, the multi-vehicle region database 19 i, andcongestion information acquired in real time from the outside of thesmartphone 10. The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determinewhether or not the place where the user is currently present correspondsto “region with many animals” on the basis of, for example, the outputof the GPS unit 17 d included in the acquisition history information 19b, the map information 19 f, and the multi-animal region database 19 j.The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine whether or notthe place where the user is currently present corresponds to “regionwith many stationary objects” on the basis of, for example, the outputof the GPS unit 17 d included in acquisition history information 19 b,the map information 19 f, and the multi-stationary-object regiondatabase 19 k.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine “weather” onthe basis of, for example, the output of the GPS unit 17 d included inthe acquisition history information 19 b, the map information 19 f, andweather information acquired in real time from the outside of thesmartphone 10.

The curbing action determination unit 20 a may determine that there is apurpose of movement of the user on the basis of information input to aspecific application program by the user. For example, the curbingaction determination unit 20 a may determine that there is a purpose ofmovement of the user when route guidance by a navigation program such asa car navigation program is started or when a purpose of movement of theuser, such as taking a walk in a region designated by the user for atime designated by the user, is input to an application program to whichthe purpose of the movement of the user is input. Additionally, in acase where the smartphone 10 has a function of determining whether ornot the user is currently commuting on the basis of the tendency of theuser's normal movement, the curbing action determination unit 20 a maydetermine that there is a purpose of movement of the user when it isdetermined that the user is currently commuting.

After the processing of S161, the curbing action determination unit 20 aacquires numerical values associated with the action determinationconditions identified in S161 in the action determination conditiontable 19 d (S162).

Next, the curbing action determination unit 20 a sums all the numericalvalues acquired in S162 (S163).

Next, the curbing action determination unit 20 a determines the curbinglevel and the curbing action according to the numerical value calculatedin S163 on the basis of the curbing action table 19 e (S164).

Next, the curbing action determination unit 20 a determines whether ornot the curbing level of the current curbing action is the same as thecurbing level determined in S164 (S165).

When determining in S165 that the curbing level of the current curbingaction is not the same as the curbing level determined in S164, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a starts the curbing actiondetermined in S164 (S166).

When determining in S165 that the curbing level of the current curbingaction is the same as the curbing level determined in S164 or theprocessing of S166 ends, the curbing action determination unit 20 aperforms the processing of S161.

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 when executingthe curbing action will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 in a case of executing the curbing action.

When starting the curbing action in S166, the curbing action executionunit 20 b executes the operation illustrated in FIG. 9 .

As illustrated in FIG. 9 , the curbing action execution unit 20 bdetermines whether or not a notification is included in the curbingaction (hereinafter referred to as “target curbing action” in operationillustrated in FIG. 9 ) determined in S164 (S181).

When determining in S181 that a notification is included in the targetcurbing action, the curbing action execution unit 20 b executes thenotification included in the target curbing action

When determining in S181 that no notification is included in the targetcurbing action or the processing of S182 ends, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b determines whether or not use restriction isincluded in the target curbing action (S183).

When determining in S183 that use restriction is included in the targetcurbing action, the curbing action execution unit 20 b starts the userestriction included in the target curbing action (S184).

When determining in S183 that no use restriction is included in thetarget curbing action or the processing of S184 ends, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b ends the operation illustrated in FIG. 9 .

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 regardingexceptional use in an emergency will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 regarding exceptional use in an emergency.

The curbing action execution unit 20 b executes the operationillustrated in FIG. 10 when executing the use restriction.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the curbing action execution unit 20 bdetermines whether or not it is an emergency (S201). For example, thecurbing action execution unit 20 b may determine that it is an emergencywhen the current position of the smartphone 10 is in a target region ofemergency information distributed from the outside of the smartphone 10.Here, emergency information includes, for example, disaster informationand accident information. Additionally, the curbing action executionunit 20 b may determine that it is an emergency when the fact that it isan emergency is input via the operation unit 11.

When determining that it is an emergency in S201, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b determines whether or not exceptional use of aspecific function of the smartphone 10 in an emergency is permitted(S202).

When determining in S202 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 in an emergency is not permitted, the curbingaction execution unit 20 b permits exceptional use of the specificfunction of the smartphone 10 in an emergency (S203). For example, thecurbing action execution unit 20 b may permit use of the specificfunction such as a telephone call, a chat, and browsing of informationon the Internet. Therefore, the user can perform emergency use of thesmartphone 10 such as making an emergency call with the smartphone 10.

The curbing action execution unit 20 b performs the processing of S201when determining in S202 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 in an emergency is permitted or the processing ofS203 ends.

When determining in S201 that it is not an emergency, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b determines whether or not exceptional use of thespecific function of the smartphone 10 in an emergency is permitted(S204).

When determining in S204 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 in an emergency is permitted, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b cancels the permission of exceptional use of thespecific function of the smartphone 10 in an emergency (S205).

When determining in S204 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 in an emergency is not permitted or the processingof S205 ends, the curbing action execution unit 20 b performs theprocessing of S201.

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 regardingexceptional use when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle will bedescribed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 regarding exceptional use when the smartphone 10 is fixed to avehicle.

The curbing action execution unit 20 b executes the operationillustrated in FIG. 11 when executing the use restriction.

As illustrated in FIG. 11 , the curbing action execution unit 20 bdetermines whether or not the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle(S221). Note that the vehicle in S221 is not a vehicle that causesdanger such as collision for the user, but is a vehicle to which thesmartphone 10 is fixed, and includes, for example, an automobile, abicycle, a wheelchair, a stroller, and a ship. For example, the curbingaction execution unit 20 b may determine that the smartphone 10 is fixedto a vehicle when a device (hereinafter referred to as “fixing device”)for fixing the smartphone 10 is installed in the vehicle and informationindicating that the smartphone 10 is fixed to the fixing device isreceived from the fixing device. Additionally, the curbing actionexecution unit 20 b may determine that the smartphone 10 is fixed to avehicle when the fact that the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle isinput via the operation unit 11.

When determining in S221 that the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle,the curbing action execution unit 20 b determines whether or notexceptional use of a specific function of the smartphone 10 when thesmartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle is permitted (S222).

When determining in S222 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle is notpermitted, the curbing action execution unit 20 b permits exceptionaluse of the specific function of the smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10is fixed to a vehicle (S223). For example, the curbing action executionunit 20 b may permit use of the specific function, such as a carnavigation function and a hands-free call function, which allows viewingof an image displayed on the display unit 12 or use without operatingthe operation unit 11.

When determining in S222 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle ispermitted or the processing of S223 ends, the curbing action executionunit 20 b performs the processing of S221.

When determining in S221 that the smartphone 10 is not fixed to avehicle, the curbing action execution unit 20 b determines whether ornot exceptional use of the specific function of the smartphone 10 whenthe smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle is permitted (S224).

When determining in S224 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle ispermitted, the curbing action execution unit 20 b cancels the permissionof exceptional use of the specific function of the smartphone 10 whenthe smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle (S225).

When determining in S224 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle is notpermitted or the processing of S225 ends, the curbing action executionunit 20 b performs the processing of S221.

Next, an example of the operation of the smartphone 10 regardingexceptional use when an image displayed on the display unit 12 is notviewed will be described.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the smartphone10 regarding exceptional use when an image displayed on the display unit12 is not viewed.

The curbing action execution unit 20 b executes the operationillustrated in FIG. 12 when executing the use restriction.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the curbing action execution unit 20 bdetermines whether or not an image displayed on the display unit 12 isviewed by the user (S241). The curbing action execution unit 20 b maydetermine whether or not an image displayed on the display unit 12 isviewed by the user according to, for example, the direction of theuser's face with respect to the image displayed by the display unit 12.Here, the curbing action execution unit 20 b may calculate the directionof the user's face with respect to the image displayed by the displayunit 12 on the basis of, for example, at least one of the direction ofthe user's face in an image captured by the in-camera 15 b and thedirection of the user's face in the detection result by the infraredsensor 17 e.

When determining in S241 that an image displayed on the display unit 12is not viewed by the user, the curbing action execution unit 20 bdetermines whether or not exceptional use of a specific function of thesmartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 is notviewed by the user is permitted (S242).

When determining in S242 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 isnot viewed by the user is not permitted, the curbing action executionunit 20 b permits exceptional use of the specific function of thesmartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 is notviewed by the user (S243). For example, the curbing action executionunit 20 b may permit use of the specific function, such as a callfunction, a sound reproduction application, and a recording application,which can be used without viewing an image displayed on the display unit12.

When determining in S242 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 isnot viewed by the user is permitted or the processing of S243 ends, thecurbing action execution unit 20 b performs the processing of S241.

When determining in S241 that an image displayed on the display unit 12is viewed by the user, the curbing action execution unit 20 b determineswhether or not exceptional use of the specific function of thesmartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 is notviewed by the user is permitted (S244).

When determining in S244 that exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 isnot viewed by the user is permitted, the curbing action execution unit20 b cancels the permission of exceptional use of the specific functionof the smartphone 10 when an image displayed on the display unit 12 isnot viewed by the user (S245).

When the curbing action execution unit 20 b determines in S244 thatexceptional use of the specific function of the smartphone 10 when animage displayed on the display unit 12 is not viewed by the user is notpermitted, or the processing of S245 ends, the curbing action executionunit 20 b performs the processing of S241.

The foregoing describes exceptional use of a specific function of thesmartphone 10 in an emergency, exceptional use of a specific function ofthe smartphone 10 when the smartphone 10 is fixed to a vehicle, andexceptional use of a specific function of the smartphone 10 when animage displayed on the display unit 12 is not viewed by the user.However, the curbing action execution unit 20 b can set exceptional useof a specific function of the smartphone 10 with contents according toan instruction from the user. For example, the user may instruct thesmartphone 10 such that the function of audio output of the smartphone10 becomes exceptionally usable while the user is moving by train.

In the above description, when both the notification and the userestriction are included in the curbing action determined in S164, thecurbing action execution unit 20 b executes the notification and thestarts the use restriction almost simultaneously (S181 to S184).However, the curbing action execution unit 20 b may start the userestriction included in the curbing action determined in S164 only whenthe user continues to use the specific function of the smartphone 10with no change in the curbing level determined in S164 after executingthe notification included in the curbing action determined in S164.

As described above, when the current situation corresponds to at leastone of the action determination conditions, the smartphone 10 determinesthe curbing action according to the action determination condition towhich the current situation corresponds (S161 to S164). Therefore, it ispossible to curb inappropriate use of the smartphone 10 by the user.

The smartphone 10 curbs the user's inappropriate use of the smartphone10 by notifying the user (S182), so that the user can be prompted not touse the smartphone 10 inappropriately.

Since the smartphone 10 curbs the user's inappropriate use of thesmartphone 10 by use restriction of the smartphone 10 (S184), the user'sinappropriate use of the smartphone 10 can be curbed effectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the smartphone 10 includes an actiondetermination condition related to the state of the posture of the user,an action determination condition related to movement of the user, anaction determination condition related to the degree of concentration onthe operation of the smartphone 10 by the user, an action determinationcondition related to the state of erroneous operation of the smartphone10 by the user, an action determination condition related to thelocation of the user, an action determination condition related to theweather of the place where the user is present, an action determinationcondition related to whether or not there is a purpose of movement ofthe user, and an action determination condition related to whether ornot the smartphone 10 is set to the operation concentration mode. Hence,an appropriate curbing action can be executed. Therefore, the smartphone10 can appropriately curb inappropriate use of the smartphone 10 by theuser.

In a case where the user is sitting while using the smartphone 10, thereis low risk for the user, such as no possibility of falling, as comparedwith a case where the user is standing while using the smartphone 10.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis always level 0 when the user is sitting.

In a case where the user walks or runs while using the smartphone 10,there is high risk for the user, such as a high possibility of collidingwith something, as compared with a case where the user sits down orstops while using the smartphone 10. Therefore, each value in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e maybe set such that the curbing level is lower when the user is sitting orstopped than when the user walks or runs. For example, each value in theaction determination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table19 e may be set such that the curbing level is level 0 only when theuser is sitting or stopped. For example, in a case where the smartphone10 has a function of determining whether or not the user is currentlycommuting, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis level 0 only while the user is sitting or stopped while the user iscurrently commuting.

In a case where the user performs a specific movement such as moving inzigzag by foot, suddenly stopping frequently while moving by foot,moving laterally frequently while moving by foot, or jumping whilemoving by foot, there is a high possibility that the user is moving byfoot while avoiding obstacles. Therefore, there is a high possibilitythat the user collides with an obstacle, and there is high risk.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the user performs a specific movement, such as moving inzigzag by foot, suddenly stopping frequently while moving by foot,moving laterally frequently while moving by foot, or jumping whilemoving by foot, than when the user does not perform such the specificmovement.

In a case where the user performs a specific movement such as stoppingfrequently while moving by foot or going back and forth while moving byfoot, there is a high possibility that the user is in a region that theuser is not familiar with. Therefore, there is a high possibility thatthe user collides with an obstacle, for example, and there is high risk.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the user executes a specific movement, such as stoppingfrequently while moving by foot or going back and forth while moving byfoot, than when the user does not perform such the specific movement.

In a case where the degree of concentration on the operation of thesmartphone 10 by the user is high, there is high risk for the user whenmoving while using the smartphone 10, such as a high possibility ofcolliding with something, as compared with a case where the degree ofconcentration on the operation of the smartphone 10 by the user is low.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the degree of concentration on the operation of thesmartphone 10 by the user is high than when the degree of concentrationon the operation of the smartphone 10 by the user is low.

In a case where erroneous operation of the smartphone 10 by the user isfrequent, as compared with a case where erroneous operation of thesmartphone 10 by the user is not frequent, there is a high possibilitythat at least one of the user's mental and physical health is bad, or atleast one of rain and wind is strong in the place where the user ispresent. Hence, there is high risk for the user when moving while usingthe smartphone 10, such as a high possibility of colliding withsomething. Therefore, each value in the action determination conditiontable 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that thecurbing level is higher when erroneous operation of the smartphone 10 bythe user is frequent than when erroneous operations of the smartphone 10by the user is not frequent.

In a case where the user is present in a place or a region that the useris familiar with, such as a home, a workplace, a neighborhood of thehome, and a neighborhood of the workplace, there is low risk for theuser, such as a low possibility of colliding with something, as comparedwith a case where the user is present in a place or a region that theuser is not familiar with. Therefore, each value in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e maybe set such that the curbing level is lower when the user is present ina place or a region that the user is familiar with than when the user ispresent in a place or a region that the user is not familiar with.

In a case where the user is present in a place or region with manypeople such as a commercial site, an event venue, and a terminalstation, there is high risk for the user, such as a high possibility ofcolliding with people, as compared with a case where the user is presentin a place or region with few people such as a park and a suburb.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the user is present in a place or region with many peoplethan when the user is present in a place or region with few people.

Similarly, the values in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the user is present in a region with many vehicles thanwhen the user is present in a region with few vehicles. Additionally,the values in the action determination condition table 19 d and thecurbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing level ishigher when the user is present in a region with many animals than whenthe user is present in a region with few animals.

In a case where the user is present in a region with many stationaryobjects, there is high risk for the user when moving while using thesmartphone 10, such as a high possibility of colliding with a stationaryobject, as compared with a case where the user is present in a regionwith few stationary objects. Therefore, each value in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e maybe set such that the curbing level is higher when the user is present ina region with many stationary objects than when the user is present in aregion with few stationary objects.

In a case where the user is present in a region with bad roads, there ishigh risk for the user when moving while using the smartphone 10, suchas a high possibility of falling, as compared with a case where the useris present in a region with good roads. Therefore, each value in theaction determination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table19 e may be set such that the curbing level is higher when the user ispresent in a region with bad roads than when the user is present in aregion with good roads.

In a case where the user goes out while using the smartphone 10 when itis raining or a strong wind is blowing, there is high risk for the user,such as a high possibility of falling, as compared with a case where theuser goes out while using the smartphone 10 when the weather is good.Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table 19 dand the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbing levelis higher when the user goes out in bad weather such as raining or windythan when the user goes out in good weather.

In a case where there is a purpose of movement of the user, the usershould concentrate on the movement in order to achieve the purpose.Therefore, it is not appropriate for the user to move while using thesmartphone 10 as compared with a case where there is no purpose ofmovement of the user. Therefore, each value in the action determinationcondition table 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e may be set suchthat the curbing level is higher when there is a purpose of movement ofthe user than when there is no purpose of the movement of the user.

In a case where the smartphone 10 is set to the operation concentrationmode, the user concentrates on the operation of the smartphone 10.Hence, there is a low possibility that the user moves while using thesmartphone 10, and there is low risk for the user, such as a lowpossibility of the user colliding with something, as compared with acase where the smartphone 10 is not set to the operation concentrationmode. Therefore, each value in the action determination condition table19 d and the curbing action table 19 e may be set such that the curbinglevel is lower when the smartphone 10 is set to the operationconcentration mode than when the smartphone 10 is not set to theoperation concentration mode. Note that each value in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d and the curbing action table 19 e maybe set such that, even when the smartphone 10 is set to the operationconcentration mode, when the user starts running, for example, thecurbing level increases.

When executing the curbing action, the smartphone 10 permits exceptionaluse of a specific function of the smartphone 10 in a specific situation(S203, S223, and S243). Hence, it is possible to reduce adverse effectscaused by curbing the user's inappropriate use of the smartphone 10.

In the present embodiment, the curbing action determination unit 20 aidentifies the action determination conditions to which the currentsituation corresponds (S161), sums the numerical values associated withthe action determination conditions identified in S161 in the actiondetermination condition table 19 d (S163), and determines the curbingaction according to the numerical value calculated in S163 on the basisof the curbing action table 19 e (S164).

However, when the current situation corresponds to at least one of theaction determination conditions, as long as the curbing action accordingto the action determination condition to which the current situationcorresponds can be determined, the curbing action determination unit 20a may determine the curbing action by other methods. For example, thecurbing action determination unit 20 a may determine the curbing actionaccording to the action determination condition to which the currentsituation corresponds using a neural network.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example different from theexample illustrated in FIG. 2 of the inappropriate use control systemaccording to the present embodiment.

The above describes an example in which the inappropriate use controlsystem of the present invention includes only the electronic device ofthe present invention. However, the inappropriate use control system ofthe present invention may be configured by the electronic device of thepresent invention and at least one electronic device outside theelectronic device of the present invention. For example, aninappropriate use control system 70 illustrated in FIG. 13 includes asmartphone 71 as the electronic device of the present invention and acloud service 72 with which the smartphone 71 can communicate via anetwork 70 a. The cloud service 72 implements some of the functionsimplemented by the smartphone 10 (see FIG. 2 ) instead of the smartphone71.

In the above, an example of a smartphone has been described as theelectronic device of the present invention. However, the electronicdevice of the present invention may be a device other than a smartphoneas long as it is carried by the user and used by the user. For example,the electronic device of the present invention may be a mobile phoneother than a smartphone, a tablet, or a wearable terminal. Here, as thewearable terminal, for example, a smart watch, a ring-type activitymeter, or the like can be considered.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inappropriate use control system comprising: acurbing action determination unit that determines a curbing action as anaction for curbing a user's inappropriate use of an electronic devicecarried by the user and used by the user; and a curbing action executionunit that executes the curbing action determined by the curbing actiondetermination unit, wherein when a current situation corresponds to atleast one of action determination conditions as conditions fordetermining the curbing action, the curbing action determination unitdetermines the curbing action according to a pattern of the actiondetermination condition to which the current situation corresponds. 2.The inappropriate use control system according to claim 1, wherein: theaction determination condition includes a condition related to a stateof a posture of the user; the action determination condition related toa state of a posture of the user includes the action determinationcondition that the user is sitting and the action determinationcondition that the user is standing; and the curbing actiondetermination unit determines not to perform anything as the curbingaction when a current situation corresponds to a plurality of the actiondetermination conditions including the action determination conditionthat the user is sitting.
 3. The inappropriate use control systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the action determination conditionincludes a condition related to a degree of concentration on anoperation of the electronic device by the user, and the curbing actiondetermination unit determines the degree of concentration on anoperation of the electronic device by the user according to at least oneof a direction of a face of the user with respect to an image displayedby the electronic device, a distance between an image displayed by theelectronic device and the face of the user, the number of charactersinput to the electronic device by the user within a specific time, andthe number of times of operation of the electronic device within aspecific time.
 4. The inappropriate use control system according toclaim 3, wherein the action determination condition includes a conditionrelated to the weather of a place where the user is present, and thecurbing action determination unit determines the curbing action on thebasis of the action determination condition related to the weather of aplace where the user is present such that a degree of curbing ofinappropriate use of the electronic device by the user is higher in acase where the user goes out when the weather is bad than in a casewhere the user goes out when the weather is good.
 5. The inappropriateuse control system according to claim 4, wherein the actiondetermination condition includes a condition related to whether or notthere is a purpose of movement of the user, and the curbing actiondetermination unit determines the curbing action on the basis of theaction determination condition related to whether or not there is apurpose of movement of the user such that a degree of curbing ofinappropriate use of the electronic device by the user is higher whenthere is the purpose than when there is no purpose.
 6. The inappropriateuse control system according to claim 5, wherein: the actiondetermination condition includes a condition related to whether or notthe electronic device is set to a mode in which the user concentrates onan operation of the electronic device; the curbing action determinationunit sets the electronic device to the mode when setting to the mode isinstructed; and the curbing action determination unit determines thecurbing action on the basis of the action determination conditionrelated to whether or not the electronic device is set to the mode suchthat a degree of curbing of inappropriate use of the electronic deviceby the user is lower when the electronic device is set to the mode thanwhen the electronic device is not set to the mode.
 7. The inappropriateuse control system according to claim 6, wherein: the actiondetermination condition includes a condition related to a state oferroneous operation of the electronic device by the user; the curbingaction determination unit determines a reference number of times ofdetermination of the state of erroneous operation of the electronicdevice by the user on the basis of the number of times of erroneousoperation of the electronic device by the user acquired in anenvironment where the user's mind and body are stable and the user issafe; and the curbing action determination unit determines thaterroneous operation of the electronic device by the user is frequent asthe state of erroneous operation of the electronic device by the userwhen the number of times of erroneous operations of the electronicdevice by the user is equal to or greater than the reference number oftimes.
 8. The inappropriate use control system according to claim 7,wherein the curbing action execution unit permits exceptional use of aspecific function of the electronic device in a specific situation whenexecuting the curbing action, and the specific situation includes atleast one of a situation in which an image displayed on the electronicdevice is not viewed by the user, and a situation in which the user ismoving by train.
 9. The inappropriate use control system according toclaim 8, wherein the action determination condition includes a conditionrelated to a state of movement of the user, and the action determinationcondition related to a state of movement of the user includes at leastone of the action determination condition that the user is moving inzigzag by foot, the action determination condition that the user issuddenly stopping frequently while moving by foot, the actiondetermination condition that the user is moving laterally frequentlywhile moving by foot, the action determination condition that the useris jumping while moving by foot, the action determination condition thatthe user is stopping frequently while moving by foot, the actiondetermination condition that the user goes back and forth while movingby foot, the action determination condition that the user is moving bytrain, and the action determination condition that the user is moving byautomobile.
 10. The inappropriate use control system according to claim9, wherein the action determination condition includes a conditionrelated to a location of the user, and the action determinationcondition related to a location of the user includes at least one of theaction determination condition that the user is present in a region withbad roads, the action determination condition that the user is presentin a region where there are many vehicles, the action determinationcondition that the user is present in a region where there are manyanimals, and the action determination condition that the user is presentin a region where there are many stationary objects.
 11. Theinappropriate use control system according to claim 1, wherein theaction determination condition includes a condition related to a degreeof concentration on an operation of the electronic device by the user,and the curbing action determination unit determines the degree ofconcentration on an operation of the electronic device by the useraccording to at least one of a direction of a face of the user withrespect to an image displayed by the electronic device, a distancebetween an image displayed by the electronic device and the face of theuser, the number of characters input to the electronic device by theuser within a specific time, and the number of times of operation of theelectronic device within a specific time.
 12. The inappropriate usecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein the action determinationcondition includes a condition related to the weather of a place wherethe user is present, and the curbing action determination unitdetermines the curbing action on the basis of the action determinationcondition related to the weather of a place where the user is presentsuch that a degree of curbing of inappropriate use of the electronicdevice by the user is higher in a case where the user goes out when theweather is bad than in a case where the user goes out when the weatheris good.
 13. The inappropriate use control system according to claim 1,wherein the action determination condition includes a condition relatedto whether or not there is a purpose of movement of the user, and thecurbing action determination unit determines the curbing action on thebasis of the action determination condition related to whether or notthere is a purpose of movement of the user such that a degree of curbingof inappropriate use of the electronic device by the user is higher whenthere is the purpose than when there is no purpose.
 14. Theinappropriate use control system according to claim 1, wherein: theaction determination condition includes a condition related to whetheror not the electronic device is set to a mode in which the userconcentrates on an operation of the electronic device; the curbingaction determination unit sets the electronic device to the mode whensetting to the mode is instructed; and the curbing action determinationunit determines the curbing action on the basis of the actiondetermination condition related to whether or not the electronic deviceis set to the mode such that a degree of curbing of inappropriate use ofthe electronic device by the user is lower when the electronic device isset to the mode than when the electronic device is not set to the mode.15. The inappropriate use control system according to claim 14, whereinthe curbing action determination unit stops setting the electronicdevice to the mode when setting to the mode is instructed while the useris performing a specific vigorous movement.
 16. The inappropriate usecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein: the action determinationcondition includes a condition related to a state of erroneous operationof the electronic device by the user; the curbing action determinationunit determines a reference number of times of determination of thestate of erroneous operation of the electronic device by the user on thebasis of the number of times of erroneous operation of the electronicdevice by the user acquired in an environment where the user's mind andbody are stable and the user is safe; and the curbing actiondetermination unit determines that erroneous operation of the electronicdevice by the user is frequent as the state of erroneous operation ofthe electronic device by the user when the number of times of erroneousoperations of the electronic device by the user is equal to or greaterthan the reference number of times.
 17. The inappropriate use controlsystem according to claim 1, wherein the curbing action execution unitpermits exceptional use of a specific function of the electronic devicein a specific situation when executing the curbing action, and thespecific situation includes at least one of a situation in which animage displayed on the electronic device is not viewed by the user, anda situation in which the user is moving by train.
 18. The inappropriateuse control system according to claim 1, wherein the actiondetermination condition includes a condition related to a state ofmovement of the user, and the action determination condition related toa state of movement of the user includes at least one of the actiondetermination condition that the user is moving in zigzag by foot, theaction determination condition that the user is suddenly stoppingfrequently while moving by foot, the action determination condition thatthe user is moving laterally frequently while moving by foot, the actiondetermination condition that the user is jumping while moving by foot,the action determination condition that the user is stopping frequentlywhile moving by foot, the action determination condition that the usergoes back and forth while moving by foot, the action determinationcondition that the user is moving by train, and the action determinationcondition that the user is moving by automobile.
 19. The inappropriateuse control system according to claim 1, wherein the actiondetermination condition includes a condition related to a location ofthe user, and the action determination condition related to a locationof the user includes at least one of the action determination conditionthat the user is present in a region with bad roads, the actiondetermination condition that the user is present in a region where thereare many vehicles, the action determination condition that the user ispresent in a region where there are many animals, and the actiondetermination condition that the user is present in a region where thereare many stationary objects.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing an inappropriate use control program comprisingcausing an electronic device carried by a user and used by the user toimplement a curbing action determination unit that determines a curbingaction as an action for curbing the user's inappropriate use of theelectronic device, and a curbing action execution unit that executes thecurbing action determined by the curbing action determination unit,wherein when a current situation corresponds to at least one of actiondetermination conditions as conditions for determining the curbingaction, the curbing action determination unit determines the curbingaction according to a pattern of the action determination condition towhich the current situation corresponds.